Unlike Qantas I believe SIA is wise by configuring its A350-900s with just business and premium economy seating.

Flight time for Singapore-New York will be as long as 19 hours. But previous experience when SIA operated the route non-stop with an A340-500 suggested it could be an hour or so less. It all depends on the routing (this can change from day to day) wind speed and so on.

For its non-stop flights to the UK Qantas also offers regular economy for Perth-LHR. Travellers have complained of a lack of space on this long flight. It’s 3-3-3 on a B787.

I meant to say “world’s longest flight.” The world’s longest route would probably be London-Singapore-Sydney with BA/QF.

canucklad – Your suggestion is a good one. But I can’t see SIA obtaining fifth-freedom rights New York-London. It’s tried in the past but the UK govt has always refused … hence the reason SIA flies Frankfurt-New York instead.

But New York-Zurich might be possible if the Swiss govt were to agree and SIA is, like Lufthansa/Swiss, a Star carrier.

Recommend an app.Airport Distance,actually it doesn’t do either it goes via Russia and the Arctic ocean to NYC.

Not quite right. The SQ flights from SIN-EWR are flight planned using a program which provides minimum time. From that point, the ride conditions are looked at and adjustments are made to optimize ride conditions and comply with enroute alternates. Once that is done, then a flight plan is computed. Generally speaking, the flight tends to operate eastbound with SIN-EWR and also eastward on EWR-SIN. There are times where a flight is planned using the polar routes as that provides the shortest flight time. However, the polar routes are expensive to operate on and the cost of using them does not always work out as the cheapest flight plan.

Ofcourse SQ operations and pilots decide and Alex has said Russia charges $100 each pax each way on overflights so will they avoid Russia or save about 800nm?
Wait to see Flight Radar 24 on first flight.
It seems A359 has range for various routes ‘though the QF B787 non-stop PER-LHR was shortest route.

Ofcourse SQ operations and pilots decide and Alex has said Russia charges $100 each pax each way on overflights so will they avoid Russia or save about 800nm?

Wait to see Flight Radar 24 on first flight.

It seems A359 has range for various routes ‘though the QF B787 non-stop PER-LHR was shortest route.

You are confusing Russian overflight with the Polar Routes. Not the same. I worked for SQ for a number of years as a Captain, so I can assure you there are various factors which are taken into account.

One of the things you have to plan for is a polar diversion and ensure you have the facilities to take care of the pax at the destination field.
That option is not always available.
Having flown several SIN-EWR-SIN/SIN-LAX-SIN flights I can assure you it’s not just about the two issues you raise.

Agree with Philsquares. I had travelled Singapore-Los Angeles-Singapore by A340 and recently Singapore- San Francisco- Singapore by A350 all nonstop. Noted in both cases that there is no fixed route, the flight path is different each time.

I can’t see SIA obtaining fifth-freedom rights New York-London. It’s tried in the past but the UK govt has always refused … hence the reason SIA flies Frankfurt-New York instead.

But Alex, there are a number of fifth-freedom routes between the UK and the US, haven’t there? I will confess to only using my memory and not having researched (and I am sure your resources are better than mine on both counts!), but I do seem to recall that ANZ and Air India have those fifth-freedom rights. I have an idea that PIA did too. Rather more pertinently (and I did research this one) SQ fly a fifth-freedom route between Houston and Manchester.

So given that the UK government allows fifth-freedom flights between the UK and the US, why would they refuse LHR-NYC? Wouldn’t that be more a matter of slots at LHR?

But Alex, there are a number of fifth-freedom routes between the UK and the US, haven’t there? I will confess to only using my memory and not having researched (and I am sure your resources are better than mine on both counts!), but I do seem to recall that ANZ and Air India have those fifth-freedom rights. I have an idea that PIA did too. Rather more pertinently (and I did research this one) SQ fly a fifth-freedom route between Houston and Manchester.

So given that the UK government allows fifth-freedom flights between the UK and the US, why would they refuse LHR-NYC? Wouldn’t that be more a matter of slots at LHR?

Hello Ian, A few years ago I wrote a piece for the magazine on Fifth Freedom rights and I explained the whole situation in detail and provided something like a dozen of such rights around the world.

Aeropolitics is a murky business. Whether or not an airline can gain traffic rights is decided by negotiations between the governments concerned. Much if not all negotiations are conducted behind closed doors.

You are quite correct in that a number of foreign airlines were granted fifth-freedom rights between London and N America in previous decades.

It was at a time when aircraft when airlines were unable to fly non-stop between the Middle East or Asia and N America.

So London-New York rights were granted to carriers as diverse as Air India, ElAl, Kuwait Air and PIA. Some if not all these rights have been abandoned in recent years. Air India also had fifth-freedom rights to fly London to Chicago/Toronto. Over the years, for various reasons, these rights have lapsed or been removed.

NZ has held the fifth-freedom rights for London-Los Angeles for many decades. These are historical. In any case there is no aircraft capable of non-stop operation between UK and New Zealand at the present time.

Why did SIA gain Manchester-Houston rights ? Well here you have a strong regional airport and a region which both it and the government want to prosper in future.

If no US or UK airline wishes to serve the route non-stop/direct then that opens the door to a foreign airline to come in … provided of course that the UK/US govts agree.

It’s a similar case with Barcelona-Mexico City (see link below) for which Emirates recently gained fifth-freedom rights. If the Catalonians feel neglected by Iberia and Aeromexico a case can be made for another carrier to take over.

From London it is a different matter. Transatlantic routes from London are prime routes and these generate many many premium travellers in total contrast to UK regional airports.

Note that BA makes the bulk of its profits from transatlantic operations so when SIA applies to the UK government for traffic rights it (the UK govt) must listen to and favour the home carrier.

At the time when SIA applied for rights to New York from London that route was not as competitive as it is today. And neither were slots as expensive as they are today (the record price is US$75 million for a *single* slot)